Nine named as finalists for Tech Athletics 2013 Man of the Year Award

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech University Athletic
Department has announced the names of nine finalists for the
school’s 2013 Man of the Year Award, with the winner to be
announced Sunday.

To be eligible for the Man of the Year Award, students must be a
senior or graduate student who has completed his athletic
eligibility during 2012-13. Criteria for selecting the award
include both athletic and academic accomplishments, as well as
additional areas such as community involvement and public
service.

The Awards Committee has selected three members from the baseball
team, two from football, and one each from basketball, cross
country, golf and tennis teams. The finalists, listed in
alphabetical order, are:

Syrym Abdukhalikov, Almaty, Kazakhstan (Tennis) In just two seasons, Syrym wrote his name throughout the
Tennessee Tech men’s tennis record books, leading the Golden
Eagles to back-to-back unbeaten marks and a 17-0 record in Ohio
Valley Conference regular season matches while manning the No. 1
singles and doubles positions. This spring, he was named the OVC
Player of the Year, leading Tech to a 9-0 record within the league.
Individually, he posted a flawless 9-0 record against OVC opponents
during the regular season and was 10-0 for the year against OVC
foes, including one win in the tournament, finishing his career on
a 10-match winning streak. In doubles play, he teamed with
sophomore Alejandro Augusto for an identical 9-0 record against the
league. He finished with a 14-2 record in singles play during the
dual match season. He was named first-team all-OVC and was named
the OVC Player of the Week three consecutive times. His .708
winning percentage in singles matches this spring ranks seventh
all-time in Tech history, and his .680 overall winning percentage
for the year ranks 10th. For his two-year career, he
went 32-19 in singles play and his .627 career winning percentage
ranks as the eighth-best in Tech history. His two-year combined
career mark of 60-39 gives him a .606 winning percentage, which
ranks sixth in school history. He was recently named Tech’s
Outstanding Male Athlete for 2012-13.

Tristan Archer, Kingsport, Tenn.
(Baseball)
A four-year starter, Tristan Archer spent much of this season
rewriting the Tennessee Tech record books and firmly cementing a
place among the all-time greats in Tech history. Archer finished
his incredible career owning three Tech career records, including
wins (23), starts (55), and innings pitched (323.2). Archer also
finished his four seasons at Tech ranking second all-time in
strikeouts with 273 and third in K/walk ratio with a 2.81 mark. On
the year, Archer broke his career-high in wins, leading the Golden
Eagles with nine wins in 2013, ranking second in the Ohio Valley
Conference. The nine victories tied for third most in a single
season in Golden Eagle history. His 97 strikeouts this season
ranked second in the OVC and tied for fourth most in a single
season in Tech history. He finished the season with a 4.22 K/walk
ratio, second best all-time for a TTU player. Archer’s 97.0
innings pitched ranked first in the OVC and third most in a single
season among Tech players. His 15 starts also tied for the all-time
team high in a single year. He finished the season with three
10-plus strikeout performances, including his first career
complete-game shutout over SIUE. The performance led to the senior
garnering his fourth career OVC Pitcher of the Week honor. A member
of the 2010 OVC all-Freshman team, Archer was also named OVC Player
of the Week by College Sports Madness this season as well as
College Sports Madness’ OVC Pitcher of the Year. He earned
all-OVC first team honors this season while helping lead the Tech
squad to the most wins in team history and a 40-17 record. The team
has also set an OVC and program record for conference wins in a
season with 24. Voted as one of three captains of the 2013 squad,
Archer is a six-time Athletics Director Honor Roll member, a member
of the 2011-12 OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, and a two-time
member of the Dean’s List. The senior has been heavily
involved in community service in his career, volunteering as a Bell
Ringer for Cookeville Mission, working several middle school field
day events, assisting at the annual Fall Funfest, and helping run
the Golden Eagle Baseball School’s annual High School Elite
Camp.

Terrell Barnes, Riverdale, Ga.
(Basketball)
A four-starter under head coaches Mike Sutton and Steve Payne,
Terrell Barnes has amassed 85 starts in 119 games played during his
time in a Golden Eagle uniform. In four seasons, he racked up over
500 rebounds and nearly 400 points while recording over 100 assists
and playing almost 2,500 minutes. Limited this season with a foot
injury, Barnes grew into a valuable leader both on and off the
court for head coach Steve Payne and the rest of the Golden Eagle
men’s basketball team. The senior spent last summer as a
member of the U.S. Eagles Men’s Basketball team. The squad,
competed in East Asia as part of a cultural exchange helping to
develop the game of basketball on the international level. Barnes
has been a leader in the community as well, volunteering with the
men’s basketball team at several events, including the
Parkview Book Fair, Algood Tomahawk Trot, hosting the kids of
Mustard Seed Ranch, and making visits to several middle and
elementary schools throughout the preseason. A 2013 spring graduate
and two time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll,
Barnes will look to begin his career as a teacher after earning his
degree in multidisciplinary studies.

Taylor Hennigan, Cookeville, Tenn. (Football) Taylor wrapped up a four-year career in which he joined
his father, former player and coach Mike Hennigan, in becoming the
first father-son duo in OVC history to each capture conference
football championships when he helped the 2011 Golden Eagles win
the title. As a senior, he capped off his career with a pair of
prestigious honors. In February, he was Tech's 2012 winner of the
University Scholar-Athlete award, presented annually by the Middle
Tennessee Chapter of the National Football Foundation. In May, he
was named to the NFF Hampshire Honor Society for outstanding
academic achievement. He has been active representing Tech off the
field in a variety of roles. In addition to volunteering with
the Better Business Bureau and Habitat for Humanity, he is a member
of the EXPW Major Club. He has been a regular on both the OVC
Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Tech Athletic Director's Honor
Roll. On the field, he played free safety, strong safety, wide
receiver and long snapper during his four seasons, and won the Tech
Pride Award in 2012.

Greg Kitts, Caryville, Tenn. (Golf)
A four-year competitor for the Golden Eagle golf team, Greg
demonstrated reliable leadership throughout his career. This
season, he competed in a team-high 33 rounds over 12 events,
carding an average of 76.15. His six rounds of par or better ranked
second on the team. Greg’s lowest round of the season, a
four-under 68, came in the first round of the Skyhawk Classic in
October. He went on to finish in a tie for 12th out of
the 77 golfers in that tournament. Two weeks later, Kitts carded a
three-round score of 219 at the F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate,
tying for 13th out of 81 competitors.

Tre Lamb, Calhoun, Ga. (Football)
Despite missing the final four games of the season due to injury,
Tre Lamb was still chosen as the winner of the team’s Most
Valuable Offensive Player Award. Lamb was on course to shatter
nearly every school passing and total offense record before
injuries hampered his play in the middle of the season and
sidelined him for the final four games. He already set more than 20
school standards in his final two seasons, this year passing for
1,872 yards and 17 touchdowns in eight games. He finished with 45
career TD passes and more than 5,000 passing yards. He continued to
be a vocal presence on the sidelines, aiding his replacement and
providing assistance wherever needed. At the conclusion of the
year, Lamb was chosen as a permanent team captain. Lamb appeared in
33 games in his career and piled up 5,632 yards of total offense,
including 5,301 passing yards. He threw for 45 touchdowns and
rushed for another nine, accounting for 54 trips into the end zone.
He completed 60.8 percent of his career passes and finished with a
quarterback rating of 140.3. Following graduation in December, he
joined the Golden Eagle coaching staff. Off the field, Tre
was a volunteer with the football team in a Habitat for Humanity
building project, and was a regular participant in FCA meetings and
activities. Back home in Georgia, he worked at numerous youth
football camps and has represented his high school and the Tech
coaching staff in fundraising golf tournaments for Susan G. Komen
and FCA.

Adam McLeod, Kingsport, Tenn. (Cross Country) A high achiever in the classroom throughout his lifetime,
Adam graduated from Tennessee Tech in three years with a degree in
chemical engineering and a 3.94 grade point average. His most
recent honor came from Capital One/CoSIDA where he was named
Academic All-District. Among team leaders in every meet during the
2012 cross country season, he posted his best effort at the OVC
Championship with a second-place finish on the squad. He ran a
career-best 8K time at the OVC Championships, and posted his 10K
career-best at the NCAA Regional. He helped the Golden Eagles win
the OVC Team Sportsmanship Award in 2011. He was listed on the
Athletic Director's Honor Roll every semester at Tech, and on the
OVC Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll every year. He was the
recipient of the Captain W.L. Anderson Scholarship and the Eastman
Chemical Company Academic Scholarship. He won the OVC Academic
Medal of Honor for the highest GPA in the league. He is also a
member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Away from
competition and the classroom, he served as a volunteer at the
Cookeville Jaycees 5K Race in 2011 and 2012, and the OVC
Championships in 2010. He was a volunteer for the Bristol, Tenn.,
Helping Hands Health Clinic, the Girls Club of Kingsport, Tenn.,
and as a tutor at Northeast State Community College. He was also a
nominee for TTU’s prestigious Derryberry Award.

Nick Price, Clinton, Tenn.
(Baseball)
Nick Price has put together arguably the best season of his
four-year career this season, setting career highs in ERA (4.88),
strikeouts (42), wins (5), and appearances (20). Price’s five
wins ranks third on the team and his 20 appearances are tied for
second. He sits just one appearance away from cracking the top 10
in career appearances. Price has also thrown the fourth most among
Tech pitchers this season, tossing 48.0 innings. He has helped lead
the Tech squad to the second most wins in team history, boasting a
37-14 record. The team has also set a program record for conference
wins in a season with 22. A six-time Athletic Director’s
Honor Roll member, Price has been named to the Dean’s list
three times throughout his college career and was named to both the
2010-11 and 2011-12 OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. The senior
has been heavily involved among community activities, volunteering
at the Cookeville Fall Funfest, Fitness Festival at Sycamore
Elementary, Golden Eagle Baseball School’s High School Elite
Camp, and Fall Baseball Kid’s Camp.

Austin Wulf, Beaver Falls, Pa. (Baseball) In four seasons as a starter for the Golden Eagle squad,
Austin Wulf has provided a huge impact on the Tech program,
wrapping up his career in the top 10 of several statistical
categories as well as being a leader both on and off the field.
Over the last three seasons, the senior has not missed a start,
playing over 150 consecutive games in center field for the Golden
Eagles. Wulf ranks fourth on the career list for games played,
appearing in 205 in four years. He currently sits in second place
among career leaders in at bats (794) and needs just 10 hits to
break the all-time career hits record of 253 set by Chad Oberacker.
Wulf has amassed 160 runs, 36 doubles, 88 walks, and 30 stolen
bases in his career and also boasts and incredible .993 fielding
percentage. This season alone, the senior has yet to make an error
while recording 103 putouts. He is batting .300 in 2013, scoring 46
runs and recording 62 hits, 16 doubles, 31 RBI. He has helped lead
the Tech squad to the second most wins in team history, boasting a
37-14 record. The team has also set a program record for conference
wins in a season with 22. Named as one of three captains of the
Tech squad, Wulf has demonstrated his leadership and toughness on
numerous accounts, highlighted by playing most the 2012 season with
a badly hurt elbow after leading the Ohio Valley Conference in
hit-by-pitches with over 20. The senior was a member of the 2010
OVC All-Freshman Team, and earned Athletic Director’s Honor
Roll status twice. He has been heavily involved in the community,
helping out at as a Bell Ringer for Cookeville Mission, working
several middle school field day events, assisting at the annual
Fall Funfest, and helping run the Golden Eagle Baseball
School’s annual High School Elite Camp.